Combine Canned Corn And Tuna For Sweet And Savory Flavors In Pasta Salad

If you want a new way to use the canned tuna and canned corn that's been sitting in the back of your pantry, make pasta salad. It will make for an effortless weeknight dinner or a filling side dish. Tasting Table recipe developer Jennie Rye uses both of these canned ingredients in her zippy tuna pasta salad.

Why use corn and tuna together in pasta salad? The result is sweet and savory flavors combined with flaky and crunchy textures. Tuna is also a more affordable way to add protein to your pasta salad. Another major benefit to using canned tuna in pasta salad is that it cuts your prep work down. The only thing you need to do is open the can, drain the liquid, and toss it in a bowl. Meanwhile, canned corn also requires little prep work, and is high in protein and vitamin C. Both of these ingredients will save you a lot of time if you're in a pinch for a quick home-cooked dinner, or don't have other proteins on hand.

Besides the canned tuna and corn, pasta is the other main ingredient in this dish. Pasta like fusilli, farfalle, rotelle, or elbows are ideal because they have textures that the dressing will cling to, but make sure to cook the pasta al dente, so it doesn't become mushy when you mix it with the dressing and other ingredients. If cold pasta salad isn't your thing, make a hot pasta dish.

If you don't mind a cold pasta salad, canned corn, and tuna pair well with many other ingredients. If you want to brighten up the dish, use fresh vegetables like avocado, celery, and bell peppers. To take it even further, Rye recommends swapping the canned tuna with fresh grilled tuna. If you like spicy food, use canned corn that has green and red bell peppers, or dice fresh jalapeño peppers for more spiciness. You could even throw in a dash of cayenne pepper if you want deeper and spicier flavors or use chipotle mayonnaise instead of regular mayo for more heat.